reviews
Nov 14, 2011
Macjest
rated it: 
Absolutely fascinating read! I know that many of us got started with Nancy Drew before moving over to Trixie Belden. This book gives the whole history behind Nancy, the Hardy Boys, the Bobbsey Twins, the Dana Girls and a whole host of other books many of us grew up with.
Believe it or not, Nancy Drew and the above all started out as 50ยข pulp books. The early books were churned out as quickly as possible so that the author could earn $100-125 per book. (The author had to sign away their right More...
Believe it or not, Nancy Drew and the above all started out as 50ยข pulp books. The early books were churned out as quickly as possible so that the author could earn $100-125 per book. (The author had to sign away their right More...
Jan 22, 2012
Elderberrywine
rated it:
The intriguing backstory of "Carolyn Keene" and her heroine begins with Edward Stratemeyer, creator of the ingenious Stratemeyer Syndicate. Full of inventive tales, and not enough time to write them, he came up with the solution of creating the characters with whom he populated his many series for juveniles, came up with the general outline for each book, and farmed them all out to selected writers to complete. The writers were to remain anonymous, and he often retooled the manuscrip
More...
Feb 23, 2010
Karen
rated it:
At long last I discovered the truth behind Carolyn Keene, and all those rumors about her, like "Wasn't she a man? And didn't she write Hardy Boys as well, and a bunch of other series books with different pseudonyms?"
The brainchild of Edward Stratemeyer, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Bobbsey Twins, and a host of other popular series books, were assigned to ghostwriters who wrote the complete ms. after getting plot outlines from Stratemeyer. He actually had a "writing factory" More...
The brainchild of Edward Stratemeyer, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Bobbsey Twins, and a host of other popular series books, were assigned to ghostwriters who wrote the complete ms. after getting plot outlines from Stratemeyer. He actually had a "writing factory" More...
Jan 17, 2009
Julia
rated it:
"Grab your magnifying glass, because this is a mystery story." That's the first sentence of the book, and it was all it took to convince me that this book was absolutely something I'd want to read. For the most part, the book didn't quite live up to this particular promise. It's not a mystery at all.
But it turned out to be something even better. Not just a history of the Nancy Drew stories and their place in our culture, but also the story of women in the twentieth century. More...
But it turned out to be something even better. Not just a history of the Nancy Drew stories and their place in our culture, but also the story of women in the twentieth century. More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
May 18, 2009
Tom
rated it:
An interesting look at the lives of the two women most responsible for the Nancy Drew books, as well as the father of one who created the character and ran the writing syndicate behind the Drew series (as well as The Hardy Boys, The Bobbsey Twins, Tom Swift, The Rover Boys and many others).
The Stratemeyer Syndicate wrote brief outlines for the plots of the books and then bought the manuscripts outright from their writers. The books were then published under pseudonyms (and via con More...
The Stratemeyer Syndicate wrote brief outlines for the plots of the books and then bought the manuscripts outright from their writers. The books were then published under pseudonyms (and via con More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jun 02, 2009
Tori
rated it:
4.5 stars. I'm not sure why I can't give it 5 stars......, because I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Maybe part of it's because the title annoys me...... the "women" who created her.....when the book relates the fact that a man was the one who came up with the original idea!
I'm not big on non-fiction usually - but this story was so enthralling! Like many others, I loved Nancy Drew as a child, and was so interested to read about her history. I did not realize the controversy t More...
I'm not big on non-fiction usually - but this story was so enthralling! Like many others, I loved Nancy Drew as a child, and was so interested to read about her history. I did not realize the controversy t More...
2 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Feb 05, 2009
Rehak glows as a biographer of the players behind the creation of the mythic girl detective, exploring Adams's background as a Wellesley graduate at a time when few girls completed high school and her subsequent transformation from housewife to businesswoman after inheriting her father's publishing company. With her own sleuthing, Rehak pieces together the working relationship between Benson and Adams from their business letters and dealings. As a historian, however__especially of the emerging f
More...
Nov 06, 2011
Wileyacez
rated it:
My Nancy Drew phase did not last long, but it was a very happy time. For Christmas and birthdays, I would always ask for, and get, another book in the series. My best friend and I tried to make sure that we did not overlap titles, so that we could share. As soon as we could after the holidays, we were holed up in our bedrooms reading away on our new treasures.
Ms. Rehak did an excellent job of telling the history of not only Nancy Drew, but also that of series books for children, whic More...
Ms. Rehak did an excellent job of telling the history of not only Nancy Drew, but also that of series books for children, whic More...
Jan 08, 2011
Rachael
rated it:
When I was young my grandma had an entire bookshelf of Bobbsey twins, Hardy Boys, and Nancy Drew books. And not just series novels, the ORIGINAL series novels. So I got the pleasure of reading the classic, original Nancy Drews growing up. So it was a trill that this novel also tied in the histories of all my favorite childhood series, not my favorite girl detective.
I have to admit I was annoyed while reading the first 115 pages for a few reasons. First of, though it built the foundat More...
I have to admit I was annoyed while reading the first 115 pages for a few reasons. First of, though it built the foundat More...
Jan 04, 2010
Marfita
rated it: 
Wha-at? You mean there was no Carolyn Keene? As a child I devoured the Nancy Drew books, like most girls, re-reading them and demanding more (to my mother's horror - she wanted me to go to a library and get them, but how could you read and re-read as I did with books if they weren't right there on your shelf? I have solved this problem in adulthood by working in libraries!). I remember hearing that there was a woman behind them, or maybe a man who started it and his wife (turned out to be his
More...
Aug 26, 2007
Lauren
rated it:
A bit confusing at the beginning as the author skips around among the lives of three women (two of whom played an integral role in the creation and continuation of Nancy Drew)--the Stratemeyer sisters, Edna and Harriet, and Mildred Augustine. More than adequately covers the changes and developments of Nancy Drew's character as well as the series overall from its inception in the 1930's up to the present-day version.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jan 10, 2012
Katie
rated it:
I'm pretty sure I was given this book as kind of a joke because my friends and I have a bit of an obsession with the Nancy Drew computer games (which are fabulous, fyi). Sadly, this history of Nancy Drew and her creators does not mention her computer game legacy, but it does give a pretty good discussion of Nancy's cultural impact and importance, and why so many girls love her so very much. After all, not every books series lasts 50+ years. It was really interesting to learn about the women (and
More...
Dec 01, 2010
Jamie
rated it:
I liked the parts of this book that focused more on the story of the Nancy Drews--how she was created, who the writers were, and her evolution from the 30s through today. I would have liked to read more about Mildred Wirt, the writer of the first Drew volumes. She seemed like a woman well ahead of her time, who was able to balance a writing career with motherhood and caring for her ill husband. She had so much spirit and courage.
I felt that the book spent too much time focusing on the More...
I felt that the book spent too much time focusing on the More...
Jan 20, 2009
Jules
rated it:
I loved Nancy Drew when I was a kid. The 1980's versions that filled bookstore shelves were okay, but I really fell for the old-fashioned versions liberated from a closet in my grandparents' house. Antiquated vocabulary, prim clothing, and melodramatic mysteries were a peek into my mother's childhood that I gladly delved into during every visit. Like many other girls, I have no doubt, I pictured myself as Nancy, solving crimes and getting the bad guy in the end.
This book covers the More...
This book covers the More...
Oct 06, 2009
Katie
rated it: 
I devoured Nancy Drew books when I was younger. I'll never forget library days in middle school, when we were allowed to take out a book for the month; I always chose a Nancy Drew mystery.
While Rehak's findings on Nancy's origin and the backstory of her "author", Carolyn Keene (a pen name for multiple authors), were interesting, Mildred's and Harriet's life stories weren't so interesting that they needed to be recounted in such detail.
I also found the later tria More...
While Rehak's findings on Nancy's origin and the backstory of her "author", Carolyn Keene (a pen name for multiple authors), were interesting, Mildred's and Harriet's life stories weren't so interesting that they needed to be recounted in such detail.
I also found the later tria More...
Jan 16, 2011
Marie
rated it:
Fascinating read.
As a kid, I found the Hardy Boys more interesting, and couldn't stand Nancy Drew--perhaps because my first of her books was on of the Nancy Drew Notebooks, which, according to this book, were written to make her more 'girly-girly': boy and makeup obsessed.
But because I knew the two series were connected, I was willing to give the history a chance, and they did bring up a bit about the Hardy Boys and Edward Stratemeyer (who frankly seemed more interestin More...
As a kid, I found the Hardy Boys more interesting, and couldn't stand Nancy Drew--perhaps because my first of her books was on of the Nancy Drew Notebooks, which, according to this book, were written to make her more 'girly-girly': boy and makeup obsessed.
But because I knew the two series were connected, I was willing to give the history a chance, and they did bring up a bit about the Hardy Boys and Edward Stratemeyer (who frankly seemed more interestin More...
Dec 13, 2010
Jenny
rated it: 
Fantastic read for someone who loved Nancy Drew at some point in the in their life, and who among us didn't? The author does an amazing job of synthesizing information and presenting it in an interesting and readable format. I found myself totally enraptured by the story and fell in love with the two women who wrote the original Nancy Drew books. (I was surprised to learn that The Nancy Drew books I read in the 1960s were most certainly not the originals.) The book is more than anything else a s
More...
Jul 20, 2008
Laura
rated it:
I just finished this and it was really interesting. In the course of talking about the birth of Nancy Drew, it also covered the history of children's publishing and women's history.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jan 18, 2009
Sarah
rated it:
Growing up, I loved Nancy Drew. But I never understood the sometimes-contradictory meeting of the minds that gave her such power in every little girl's imagination. A fun and fast examination of the lives of the three people who gave Nancy her feistiness, took it away and made sure she stayed in the national consciousness, Girl Sleuth does make some general assumptions about the women's movement without using more than just a pop culture icon to back them up. But that's fine when the author c
More...
May 05, 2009
Kristin
rated it:
This book is a must read for any woman who grew up reading Nancy Drew. Most people know that Carolyn Keene was not a real person but rather that the books were written by a publishing company. Growing up, I always pictured a roomful of people sitting around a table, collaborating. This wasn't quite the case however. The publishers hired ghost writers to write the books. Almost all of the books were wriiten by one of two women: original author and journalist Mildred Wirt Benson and the daughter o
More...
Mar 24, 2011
Irene
rated it:
If you were a child with a "lights out" time and had to use a flashlight to keep reading Nancy Drew's adventures, then I suspect you will immensely enjoy reading this history of how she was created and how she morphed over the years. This book focuses mostly on the earlier days of the two women who wrote this series. I got a very clear picture of their lives and how decades worth of events shaped their writing. I also found some of the tidbits about the publishing world and how it h
More...
Aug 13, 2011
Susan
rated it:
This is the story behind the creators of the Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Bobbsey Twins and Dana Girls series. Although I didn't read the Hardy Boys, I spent many happy hours with the Bobbsey Twins,Nancy Drew and my favorite, the Dana Girls, as a child. Little did I know that Carolyn Keene was the pseudonym for a group of writers. I came to admire one of the authors, Mildred Wirt Benson, greatly through the course of the book. I would probably have given this 3.5 stars, but the beginning drags a b
More...
Feb 24, 2010
Lesley
rated it:
WOW~ the real story behind the mystery that is Nancy Drew. I never knew that there was no real writer by the name of Carolyn Keene, and that the creation of Nancy involved many people. This may be the only Nancy Drew story where Nancy takes a back seat (in her blue roadster, of course) to the creators of her and her adventures. The real treasure here is the history of juvenile fiction and those who wrote the books, and a very good anthology of the history of the American woman. You know who
More...
Dec 20, 2009
Nathan
rated it:
A pop-culture history long overdue. Rehak masterfully traces the series' evolution to match the changing contemporary social mores and values. This aspect of the book is fascinating and intelligent. The issues of authorship are a little confusing, and the constant harping on the series' connections to feminism got a little tiresome, since the links were, at times, tenuous, but the majority of the time, "Girl Sleuth" succeeds as shrewd cultural commentary, a unique backstage look at a l
More...
Aug 08, 2009
Rosalia
rated it:
This book about the woman who created Nancy Drew really helps the reader appreciate how truly ahead of her time Nancy Drew actually was. It gives the history of the two woman behind Nancy Drew, Mildred Wirt Benson and Harriet Stratermyer Adams. Harriet was most likely the first female C.E.O. and Mildred was a female pilot, journalist and writer of not only tons of books for the syndicate besides Nancy Drews but several of her own series. Anyone who has ever picked up a Nancy Drew and loved it
More...
Jan 16, 2012
Josey
rated it:
This is an interesting book, but in the beginning there were two chapters that I found to be boring, after that I really enjoyed the book and how the Nancy Drew series came about, also I didn't realize how many other children's books were written by this company. It makes me was to find and read a few, like The Rover Boys and The Motor Girls.
I really felt that the company made a mistake by telling Mildred Wilt that they couldn't pay her as much during the Depression because she was th More...
I really felt that the company made a mistake by telling Mildred Wilt that they couldn't pay her as much during the Depression because she was th More...
Oct 14, 2011
Antof9
rated it:
This book was fascinating. Honestly, it was one of the best history books I ever read. And it's not even a history book! I have something marked every other page for the first 75 pages, which is about the time I realized I wasn't going to quote the whole book in my review. In fact, I'm barely going to write a review. Because here's the thing: my husband just had surgery and I've promised to at least 2 friends; possibly 3, and I want to get it out of the house and to them.
So I'm j More...
So I'm j More...
Aug 04, 2010
Helaine
rated it:
As one of those girls who was fascinated by Nancy Drew (the original version from the late 1920's & early 1930's--no I'm not that old, but my girlfriend's mother lent her volumes to our 3rd grade class library), I was heartened to learn that the books (all but three) were written by women and all were edited by women. I had read that "Nancy Drew" was a man and the creator of the concept for the Nancy Drew series was a man, but he freelanced out the writing of the books. A good read f
More...
Feb 23, 2010
Melissa
rated it:
Though a little slow getting going, this was a fascinating account of the authors of the original Nancy Drew books. I knew Carolyn Keene was a pen-name but somehow I came under the assumption that there were many authors who wrote under that name. Turns out there were only 3, and one of those authors only wrote 2 or 3 of the books. Most were written by two women, and about two-thirds of them were written by one woman, the daughter of Nancy's brain-child, who was thrust into her father's business
More...
Aug 29, 2011
DramaMama
rated it:
Holy boring batman! I know it's non-fiction, but I have had to zap myself with java to keep from falling asleep while reading this - it finally gets good near the middle, when the author gets to the whole reason most people picked up this book in the first place - a discussion of the real story behind the creation of the Nancy Drew books - but in order to make the book feel, I don't know...worthy? ...there is a hefty amount of other research/info/history that I could have done without...not fini
More...
